major and five minor keys thanks to its ingenious fork mechanism which allowed the strings to be shortened by a semitone. Érard's "double movement" seven-pedal action for the harp (perfected and patented in the summer of 1810, Patent no 3332) allows each string to be shortened by one or two semitones, creating a whole tone. This mechanism, still used by modern pedal-harp makers, allows a harpist to perform in any key or chromatic setting. It was such a popular innovation that Érard sold £25,000-worth of harps in the first year of the release of the new instrument. One of these harps can be seen in the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg in Germany. Patents for the piano Érard's grand piano action (English patent no 4,631, 1821) is the predecessor to those used in modern grands. The repetition lever in these "double escapement" actions allows notes to be repeated more easily than in single actions. It is just one of many Érard innovations still found on modern pianos - for example, Érard was the first maker in Paris to fit pedals on the piano, and his instrument had several pedals. There was the usual sustaining pedal, an action shift, a celeste, and a bassoon pedal (which put leather against the strings to make them buzz). A knee lever moved the action farther than the action-shift pedal, making the hammers strike only one string. Other Érard piano patents deal mainly with technicalities of the keyboard action, soundboard, and tuning mechanism; virtually all of these innovations are retained in modern piano design. Notable Érard artists Érard's pianos were also widely appreciated by the foremost musicians - Charles-Valentin Alkan, Beethoven, Chopin, Fauré, Haydn, Herz, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Moscheles, Wagner, Verdi and Ravel are just a few of the famous composers who owned Erard Pianos. Mid-career, Paderewski traveled on concert tours with his own Érard piano. Franz Liszt is said to have played a six-octave Érard piano in Paris in 1824. Érard put him under contract from about this time until 1825, so when he toured England they sponsored him and he played their pianos. In literature The Érard Grand piano has been featured as part of the story line in The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason. Men, Women and Pianos. A Social History by [Arthus Loesser], 1954 [Dover Publications] Pianos and their Makers, [Alfred Dolge] 1972, [Dover Publications], chapter 3, p. 251–4 In